Tonga is expected to incur, on average, 15.5 million
USD per year in losses due to earthquakes and tropical
cyclones. In the next 50 years, Tonga has a 50% chance
of experiencing a loss exceeding 175 million USD and
casualties larger than 440 people, and a 10% chance
of experiencing a loss exceeding 430 million USD and
casualties larger than 1,700 people.
In 2012 Tropical Cyclone (TC) Evan offered a
distressing reminder of Samoa’s exposure to natural
hazards. TC Evan came only three years after the
earthquake and tsunami of 2009, which affected
2.5 percent of the country’s population, causing
143 fatalities and associated economic losses
equivalent to 20 percent of gross domestic product
(GDP).
///The economic growth of Samoa has been
impacted in the past few years by two major
disasters: the tsunami in 2009 and TC Evan
in 2012./// Growth was also impacted by the global
Kiribati is expected to incur, on average, about 0.3
million USD per year in losses due to earthquakes and
tropical cyclones. In the next 50 years, Kiribati has a 50%
chance of experiencing a loss exceeding 1 million USD
and casualties larger than 10 people, and a 10% chance
of experiencing a loss exceeding 40 million USD and
asualties larger than 200 people.
The Solomon Islands are expected to incur, on average,
20.5 million USD per year in losses due to earthquakes
and tropical cyclones. In the next 50 years, the Solomon
Islands have a 50% chance of experiencing a loss
exceeding 240 million USD and casualties larger than
1,650 people, and a 10% chance of experiencing a loss
exceeding 527 million USD and casualties larger than
4,600 people.
The Cook Islands are expected to incur, on average, about
5 million USD per year in losses due to earthquakes and
tropical cyclones. In the next 50 years, the Cook Islands
have a 50% chance of experiencing a loss exceeding 75
million USD and casualties larger than 130 people, and a
10% chance of experiencing a loss exceeding 270 million
USD and casualties larger than 200 people.
The Cook Islands is composed of 15 islands,
spread across nearly 2 million km2 of
territorial waters. The geographic spread of the
Cook Islands poses logistical problems for any
necessary post-disaster relief and response efforts.
The 2011 census estimated the resident population
of the Cook Islands at approximately 14,974
people, with a further 2,820 temporary residents.
Approximately three-quarters of the population
lived in Rarotonga. The geographic spread of
the population makes initial disaster response to
Tonga is an archipelago composed of 172
islands spread across a combined land and
sea area of 720,000km
2
. According to the 2011
census, Tonga had a population of 103,252 people
spread across 36 of the 172 islands. A population
scattered so widely across such a large area can
pose logistical problems for efforts to facilitate and
finance disaster response.
In January 2014, Tropical Cyclone Ian caused
widespread damage and destruction on the
islands of Ha’apai and Vava’u.
Papua New Guinea is expected to incur, on average, 85
million USD per year in losses due to earthquakes and
tropical cyclones. In the next 50 years, Papua New Guinea
has a 50% chance of experiencing a loss exceeding 700
million USD and casualties larger than 4,900 people, and
a 10% chance of experiencing a loss exceeding 1.4 billion
USD and casualties larger than 11,500 people.